Vocabulary list for Vocabulary Basics

by Judith Nadell, Beth Johnson, and Paul Langan, Townsend Press

(plus materials from my Intermediate Writing class at the University of Akron)

Class: Basic Writing (paragraphs) ● Instructor: Mr. Michael Krigline, MA

 The University of Akron       www.krigline.com

Scroll down for Great Paragraphs vocabulary and important concepts!       Click here for class handouts and for Test 1 Study Guide.

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(This list does not have words that my students won’t need to know for a quiz or test. I have added the italics comments. In class, I said to pay special attention to any words that have been on your vocabulary quizzes.)

Vocabulary list for Vocabulary Basics (I expect my students to know Chapters 1 to 8 before the first test.)

Unit 1 (Ch 1-6)

Chapter 1

agreement                     promise

cancel                           not do as planned

curious                          full of questions

fact                               something true

flexible                          able to bend

odor                              smell

prepare                         get ready

suggest                         offer an idea

Chapter 2

daily                             happening each day

entertain                        interest greatly

experience                    something that a person lives through

identify                          find out

negative                        bad

original                          fresh

produce                         make

tension                          worry

Chapter 3

attack                           hurt

conclusion                     last part

event                             important happening

humble                          not bragging

minor                            small

protect                          keep safe

talent                            skill

volunteer                       worker who is not paid

Chapter 4

accuse                          blame

claim                            say that it is true

embarrassed                 silly and ashamed

inspire                           make someone want to do something

pleasant                        nice

precious                        great in value

public                            open to all

unusual                         surprising

Chapter 5

benefit                           be helped

delay                            wait until later (usually passive)

emphasize                    show to be important

logical                           making sense

rival                               enemy

satisfy                           be enough for

tempt                            invite someone to do something bad

vacant                           not in use

Chapter 6

definite                          certain

fortunate                        lucky

leisure                           time off (normally an adj, so add __time)

motivated                      interested and excited

oppose                          are against

refer                              talk about

specific                         special

suspect                         believe

Vocabulary Basics Unit 2 (Ch 7-12)

Chapter 7

aware                            knowing

constant                        never-ending

devour                           eat quickly

discover                        find (especially, to find something that is new)

distressed                     upset

modern                         up-to-date

occasion                       special time

popular                          well-liked

Chapter 8

ability                            special power

create                           make

damage                         harm

failure                            something that doesn’t turn out well

glance                           look quickly

gratitude                        thanks

introduce                       meet someone for the first time

labor                             hard work

AFTER the first midterm:

Chapter 9

avoid                             keep away from

excuse                          reason

helpless                        not able to take care of oneself

include                          be made up of

intend                           plan     

normal                          usual

sociable                        friendly

struggle                         difficult time

Chapter 10

approach                       come near

damp                            a bit wet

ignore                           pay no attention to

loyal                             faithful

numerous                      lots of

previous                        earlier

require                          need

timid                             fearful

Chapter 11

capable                         having skill

careless                        not careful

furious                           angry

observe                         watch

opportunity                    chance

resist                            say no to

reverse                          turn around

tradition                         handed-down way of doing something

AFTER the second midterm: (But don't forget that the second exam may have vocabulary from chapters 1 to 11.)

Chapter 12

allow                             let

comfortable                   relaxed

distract                         take away attention

insulting                        hurtful

persist                          keep doing something

respect                         great liking

sensitive                        caring

wonder                          want to know

Chapter 13

amazed                         surprised

confident                       sure

donate                          give

effort                             hard work

locate                           find

purpose                         reason

sincere                          truthful

uncertain                       not sure

Chapter 14                   

disgust                          sicken

dismiss                         let leave

guarantee                      promise to fix something

ideal                             best

inspect                          look at carefully

opinion                          thought

prevent                          stop

resolve                          decide

Chapter 15

advice                           helpful idea

cautions                        careful

defeat                           beat

defect                           problem

impossible                     not able to happen

necessary                     needed

permit                           let

provide                          give

Chapter 16                   

arrange                         put in order

continue                        keep going

expert                           someone who knows a lot about something

hollow                           empty

panic                            great fear

personal                        close to one’s heart

regret                            feel bad about

suppose                        think

Chapter 17

admit                            honestly tell

available                        easy to get

contribute                      give

dull                               not interesting

encourage                     give hope to

experiment                    try something new

intimate                         private

portion                          part

Chapter 18                   

compete                        try to win

contain                          have inside

depend                          rely on

effective                         good

envy                              wish to have the same as

gradual                          happening slowly

intense                          deep

involve                           bring in

END of vocabulary for this class (But don't forget that the third exam may have vocabulary from chapters 1 to 18.)

Unit 4 - Chapters 19 to 24

Chapter 19

alarm                            scare

collapse                        fall down

defend                           keep safe

grief                              sadness

modest                         not thinking too highly of oneself

relieved                         made less worried

similar                           alike

victim                            person who is harmed

Chapter 20

confusion                      feeling of not knowing what to do

decrease                       make less

distant                          not at all close

emerge                         come out

incident                         time of trouble

realize                           know

refuse                           decide not to

survive                           live through

Chapter 21

excess                          leftover

persuade                       get someone to do something

quarrel                          fight

reaction                         something that happens because of something else

reveal                            tell

separate                        put apart

stubborn                        not wanting to do something

tremendous                   big

Chapter 22

disaster                         something that causes harm

fascinate                       interest greatly

generous                       willing to share

increase                        make greater

predict                          tell ahead of time

progress                        movement toward a goal

scarce                          few in number

tolerate                         let happen

Chapter 23

detail                            part

glare                             give an angry look

humor                           something funny

notice                           see

occupy                          live in

perform                         do

select                           pick out

weary                            needing rest

Great Paragraphs Vocabulary

Text: Great Writing 2: Great Paragraphs, by Keith S. Folse, April Muchmore-Vokoun and Elena Vestri Solomon, published by Heinle/CENGAGE Learning

Unit 1 (This list does not have words that my students won’t need to know for a quiz or test. I have added the italics comments.)

Braille (p 2)

blind                             not able to see

are made up of               consist of

a dot                             a small point

a bump                         a small, raised area

a fingertip                      the end of a finger

a pattern                       a design, a system

arrange                         to put in a special way or order

raised                           higher than the surrounding area

invent                            to create or make something original

yet                                but (in a surprising way)

effective                         useful, producing a good effect

An Easy Sandwich (p 4)

boil                               to cook in water at 212 degrees F (100 C)

ingredients                    parts that you need to make something (normally food)

at least                         the minimum number or amount of something that is required; that number or more

spread                          to move a substance over an area in many directions

My First Flight (p 7)

to board                        to get on a plane (or other form on transportation)

an aisle                         the row between seats (on a plane, bus, train, classroom, movie theater, etc)

sort of                           somewhat, rather

to turn                           to change, become

to be relieved:                the feeling when a person no longer feels pressure about something

destination                    the final place that you are traveling to

over                              more than

a detail                          a fact about something

Kids and Pets (p 10)

to allow                         to permit, let

a sense of                     a feeling of

compassionate              with strong feelings of caring or wanting to help

on the other hand           an expression used for an opposite or very different reason

                                    (the first reason starts with “on one hand” and the opposite reason starts with “on the other hand”)

require                          to need, must have

a number of                   several

significant                      important; especially meaningful or influential

Student Use of Computers (p 13)

fix                                 to repair

let                                 to allow, permit

effort                             hard work, trying

obtain                           to get, take

Simon Bolivar (p 14)

main                             principal, the most important

a nickname                   a short name that people use in place of a longer name

a feat                            an accomplishment

although                        contrast between two ideas; but

The State of South Carolina (p 15)

manufacture                  to make, produce

a crop                           a plant that is grown for money

cotton                           a white fiber that is used to make clothing

involve                           to have to do with, be connected with

fought                           past participle form of the verb “to fight”

distinct                          different, unique

Jim Thorpe’s Final Victory (p 16)

both                              two

reverse                          to change to the opposite position

a ruling                          a decision, especially one that is made by a judge or court

an achievement              something special that a person is able to accomplish or do

In class vocabulary:

handout                        a paper with important information—e.g., from your teacher

handy                           close at hand

entry                             a single item that is part of many more

vague                            too general or unclear

criticism                        opinions that point out problems, often without caring about other people’s feelings

constructive criticism      opinions that point out problems in a helpful way

contraction                    a shorter, informal way to write some words or word pairs

                                    (e.g., hadn’t is the contraction for “had not”; we’re = we are; int’l = international)

independent clause        part of a sentence that includes a subject and verb, and that could stand alone as a sentence

                                    if other words were taken away

dependent clause           a clause that gives information about the main clause but that can not stand alone as a sentence

support                         it means to prove something, agree with an idea, or to hold something up
referent                         the specific noun that a pronoun refers you back to

Concepts I said to pay extra attention to:

(“short answer” and other questions may come from these concepts)

First Exam

p 2. What are four ways that we show emphasis in English writing? (1) bold type (2) italics (3) underlining (4) ALL CAPS

p 3. What are two common features used in paragraphs that explain or describe something? (1) repetition (2) simple present tense verbs

p 8 (and quote from Yale). What common English words are not normally found in academic writing? I/me/my/our/we/us

p 9. What are the four features of a paragraph? (1) a topic sentence (2) all sentences are about one topic (3) the first line is indented (4) the last sentence brings the paragraph to a logical conclusion

p 9. What does a topic sentence do? It states the main idea

p 9 and 47. What do we mean by “the controlling ideas” of a paragraph? These are the words or phrases found in a topic sentence, which we can find details about in the paragraph’s body. The “controlling ideas” guide the flow of ideas in the paragraph.

p 10. What does “indented” mean? It means that the first sentence of a paragraph has been moved to the right about half an inch (one tab stop); the space is called an “indentation.”

p 10 and my handout. If both the TS and Con mention the topic and the controlling ideas, how are they different?  A paragraph’s TS has a general preview of the support, but the conclusion actually mentions the support ideas. You should also choose similar words, not the same words, to express main ideas in the TS and Con. The best conclusions also have an implication.

p 10 and my handout. What is an implication? a suggestion, an opinion, or a prediction, related to the topic; this answers the reader’s question: “So what? So what? What does this have to do with me?”

p 23 and 56. When we talk about English grammar, what is a “fragment”? a sentence without a verb or subject; an incomplete sentence

p 32. What is the first step in writing a good paragraph? thinking (not writing)

p 37. What common mistake do English-learners make, related to subject-verb agreement? They make the verb agree with the “nearest noun” (e.g., a noun in a prepositional phrase) instead of agreeing with that verb’s “grammatical subject.”

p 47. What are the five features of a good topic sentence? (1) it controls or guides the whole paragraph (2) it is not a general fact that everyone accepts as true (3) it is specific (4) it is not too specific (leaving the writer nothing else to say) (5) it has controlling ideas

p 57. What is a comma splice? two or more independent clauses connected with a comma.

p 57. What are some ways to fix a comma splice? (1) make two separate sentences (2) add a connecting word [FANBOYS] (3) rewrite, combining the most important words into one sentence

p 228-234. You should understand basic capitalization rules and “end punctuation.” (I won’t ask you to list them, but you will have to use them)

p 232. What does FANBOYS mean? It reminds us of the list of combining words (coordinating conjunctions): for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

p 218ff. What are the seven steps of the writing process? (you should be able to list these from memory, with “Title case” capitalization as shown below—see page 228 #5)

1. Thoughtfully Choose a Topic

2. Brainstorm

3. Outline

4. Write the First Draft

5. Get Feedback from a Peer

6. Revise the First Draft

7. Proofread the Final Draft

Be sure you understand the Word Association exercises on p 26, 40 and 60.

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Second Exam

Day 29 lecture:  People in different cultures “support” ideas in different ways. In Asia, you start talking about an idea in general terms, and “circle around” to make your point. In the Middle East, classic literature uses "mirror-like repetition" to build support. The same idea is said in two different ways, and then you take the writer to another point. In the west, in academic literature writers "say it three times" like this: (Topic Sentence--TS) Tell readers what you are going to say. (Body) Support it with facts. (Conclusion) Then remind them what you said.

Important Review: p 47. A paragraph’s TS tells the reader what to expect, is not a general fact, IS specific but not too specific, and has controlling ideas.

      --To make it easy for you (as beginning writers), choose support that is closely related. See your handout from 2/16/11, which said:

          a. You should choose related support points (let every idea share something: more… or healthy… or positive…).

          b. A paragraph’s TS has a general preview of the support (e.g., “four benefits” or “several healthy ways”). However, the conclusion actually mentions the support ideas (e.g., “Exercise makes your life more healthy and happy, and less tired and stressful.”).

      --The easiest way to write a good TS is to use a number plus a shared adjective (e.g., four positive features, three healthy benefits, four important differences, two effective ways.).

      --To get ideas for “good support”, create a brainstorm chart, group ideas together, and then develop the idea you can write the most about (in English). Ask yourself the “W” questions (who, what, when…).

p 67. Six kinds of supporting sentences  (you should be able to list these from memory, with “Title case” capitalization as shown below—see page 228 #5; also, if I give you a topic, you should be able to write several types of “support sentences.” Possible topics would be anything you’ve had to write about in your journal.

          1. Explain

          2. Describe

          3. Give Reasons

          4. Give Facts

          5. Give Examples

          6. Define

p 69, Activity 5. Here are some sample answers, but you can have MANY different answers.

2. Math is a part of almost everyone’s life in three important ways. How is math in everyone’s life? What do we all calculate? (calculate money, calculate time, calculate cooking measurements)

3. A best friend has three essential qualities. What are the essential qualities of a friend? How are friends consistently/always helpful? [always honest (even when it hurts), always faithful (in good and bad times), always available [never says “I’m too busy to talk”])

4. When you are traveling, you can find the best restaurants by looking for three things. How do you find the best restaurant? How do we know it is popular? [popular with reviewers in the newspaper, popular with local people (as seen by the number of cars in the parking lot), popular with the local police officers (look for a squad car)]

5. Ping Pong is a popular sport in China for two reasons. Make makes Ping Pong popular? What is easy about it? [easy to find a partner (lots of people can do it), easy to play (no great training needed, not much special equipment)]

Day 34 lecture:

--Be careful when using pronouns. Don’t make your reader guess what you mean! A good writer will express or rephrase ideas so that the referents are clear.

--Prepositions and prepositional phrases tell us extra information. Common English prepositions include in, from, on, at, for, over, under, beside, of, with, and to (but not if “to” is part of a verb). As you can see, many of these words refer to a direction or relationship.

--Helpful rule: In general, we do things in a place or a month, on a date (or on an “area” like a campus or football field), and during a period of time. Therefore, this is wrong: “I studied in my summer vacation.” Better: I studied during my summer vacation. Other good examples: I slept during lunchtime. I worked in July. My friend lives in Stow. My hometown is North Canton, in Ohio. I graduated on May 25. Do you live on campus or in an apartment?

Day 35 & 36 lectures:

Our textbook presents four kinds of concluding sentences (see page 76). Almost all conclusions should repeat (or “to say again”) the main idea and summarize the main support in your paragraph. This is called “restatement.” In addition, good conclusions have an implication; that is, they offer a suggestion (advice), an opinion (my view or belief), or a prediction (guess about the future) related to the topic.

The best way to create a good conclusion is to first outline the paragraph (so you can see the support points clearly), find any relationships between the support points (such as shared words or ideas: more… or healthy… or positive…), and then write your conclusion.

The second exam should be like the first exam, but will be only 4 pages. You may also have to do an exercise like those in Unit 4, and/or you may have to create a topic sentence and conclusion (based on an outline I give you). WATCH YOUR TIME, skip things that are hard for you, and come back later (e.g., don’t leave a 25-point “vocabulary” page blank because you spent too much time writing a 5-point conclusion). I’ll say more on Monday, after I create the test. As I told you in class, review all vocabulary from the start of this class to the end of “week 8” (i.e., up to and including Chapter 11 in the purple book). There is no “spelling” section on the exam, but you will have to “match” or “use” the terms. You will not have “short answer” questions about the main concepts you studied before the first exam (unless I’ve told you otherwise).

You may see items from the Word Association and Using Collocations exercises on or near pages 26, 40, 60, & 80.

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Third/Final Exam

Important note: During this course, I normally used capital letters for important things like Topic Sentence, Thesis Statement and Conclusion (to emphasize that they are important, and so that I could abbreviate “Topic Sentence” as “TS”). However, these are not really formal nouns, and you will not see them capitalized in most books. --M Krigline

Mar 29 handout: Three questions will help you to know which article to use, if any: (1) What kind of noun is it: proper or regular? (2) Does the noun refer to something specific or general? (3) Is the noun countable (singular or plural) or uncountable?

p 94. (This could be True/False or “multiple choice”; you don’t have to know the other rules on page 94.) Some of the basic rules of “article use” are: (1) use an article with singular count nouns, (2) in general, do not use the with noncount nouns, (3) use the when you refer to a word a second or subsequent time, (4) use the when you refer to something specific.

p 198 Review:

a. What are the four features of a paragraph? (1) a topic sentence (2) all sentences are about one topic (3) the first line is indented (4) the last sentence brings the paragraph to a logical conclusion

b. What does a topic sentence do? It states the main idea

Page 199 told us the FOUR STEPS in the process of writing a draft: (You should be able to list these from memory. Notice that they are not capitalized. You don’t have to remember the words in parentheses.)

A. developing ideas (brainstorming)

B. creating the topic sentence (narrowing the topic)

C. writing supporting sentences (developing the ideas)

D. writing concluding sentences (ending the paragraph)

p 199. What is an essay? a collection of paragraphs that presents facts, opinions, and ideas on a topic.

p 200. How are essays similar to paragraphs? They both discuss one topic. Both use similar organizational elements (to help the reader understand the information). Both have supporting and concluding elements. Both have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

p 200. What are the two main differences between an essay and a paragraph? the length, and scope of information (scope means the number of details)

p 204. The Thesis Statement of an essay is (1) similar to the Topic Sentence of a paragraph, (2) tells the reader what the essay is about, (3) shows how the essay will be organized, (4) is usually the last sentence in the introduction paragraph.

April 4 handout--An essay’s first sentence is a “hook,” not a Topic Sentence. This hook gets the reader interested and builds up to the Thesis Statement of the essay. The hook is often a story or fact (related to the topic!).

p 205 (and lectures)--Writing body paragraphs. Your essay needs two or three big support ideas; each will be a separate “body paragraph.” Each “body paragraph” has a Topic Sentence, which states the topic and previews the support. Each “body paragraph” will have two or three “support points” (such as an example or detail related to the idea). On the ASSET, you want to write three to five sentences for each body paragraph.

April 4 handout--Writing conclusions. Your “conclusion paragraph” restates your Thesis, often in the second or last sentence. In this “Restated Thesis” you need to refer to the main idea of each support-paragraph TS (Topic Sentence). The essay then ends with an implication. Be sure the “Restated Thesis” and the last sentence restates the topic (i.e., don’t just use a pronoun).

p 114. FANBOYS stands for the six connecting words for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so.

Paragraph Types (p 99)

What kind of phrase or clause is it? (p 114-115)

You should know the vocabulary in the purple book, chapters 1 to 18. In the green book, you may see items from the Using Collocations exercises on or near pages 119, 133, 160 and 214.

In class vocabulary:

variety: [NCN-non-count noun] the differences that make a paragraph (or anything) interesting; things that are similar but not the same (p 204)

synonyms: [c-countable] two words with nearly the same meaning (p 204)

avoid: keep away from (ch 9 in Vocabulary Basics)

to define: to state the meaning of a word or to describe the basic qualities of something (p 99)

chronological: arranged by time (p 121)

sensory: related to the five senses--hearing, taste, touch, sight and smell (p 135)

plagiarism: using someone else’s words as if they were your own words; stealing another person’s words (p 107)

to cite: to show in a formal way; to tell the source of information (p 107)

standardized test: something that measures ability or knowledge the same way for a large number of people (such as the SAT, ACT, TOEFL or ASSET) (p 124)

neutral: not positive or negative; not good or bad

symbol: a representation; something that reminds us of a great or famous thing/place (p 156)

connotation: the emotional meaning of a word; the meaning beyond the definition (p 147)

writing prompt: the question you answer when you write an essay on a test

General notes about writing an essay on a standardized test: (4/22/11 lecture)

Remember, you are not trying to “fool” the graders into thinking that you have a high English level. You are trying to give graders a true idea of your real English level, so they can put you in a class at your level. If you are not ready for “advanced level” or “university level” then you will find classes in those levels very, very difficult (this often leads students to quit; but classes at the right level would have helped them improve).

However, there are some simple things you can do to give the best impression possible:

1.         Content is more important than “English skills.” Graders know that English-learners will make spelling and grammar mistakes on timed tests. So don’t get too upset when you know you’ve spelled something wrong, or are not sure about the grammar in a sentence. As one “grader sheet” put it: “What’s important is that [the students] have a clear, main idea that gets expressed and supported well.” This does not mean that spelling and grammar are unimportant (these affect the grade too). But organization and support will get you a better grade than “perfect English” that does not really answer the question.

2.         Write clearly. Graders are not supposed to pay attention to your hand-writing, but it does influence them. If they can’t read what you wrote, or if it looks messy, you may get a lower grade.

3.         Leave space for your corrections. First, graders like to see some corrections because “editing” is an important, high-level skill. Second, the page will look neater if you have a margin (white space) of about one inch on all sides. If the paper has lines to write on, you can write single-spaced or double-spaced (double-spaced will give you plenty of room to correct or add something to your essay, but be sure you don’t run out of room at the end; on the ASSET you have four lined pages to write on).

4.         When the writing prompt asks for your opinion, give an opinion! Some students say, “I don’t really care about this topic, so I just wrote about both sides.” This hurts your grade. Instead, pretend that you care, choose a side, and support it. It is OK to write a paragraph about each side of the issue, but be sure you keep your strongest arguments for the paragraph that tells your opinion.

5.         Don’t be afraid to use “I.” Some writing teachers (including me) don’t want students to include “I” in their essays. But if the writing prompt asks for your opinion, or presents “two sides” for you to choose from, then it is OK to write about yourself and your opinion. In fact, on the TOEFL and ASSET, this is what the graders expect! Just remember that “writing for a test” and “writing in the real world” are sometimes very different skills!

            Why do some teachers tell you to leave “I” out? In most college courses, you write about facts, not personal opinions or experiences. Here is a quote that supports this idea: “Ask your professor about using the first person before you submit the essay. Some professors allow you to say things like “I am going to prove…,” but others hold to the idea that the subjective I should never appear in academic writing.”) p 178, Yale Daily News Guide to Writing College Papers,” by Marti Page and Justin M. Cohen, publ: Simon & Schuster 2000)

6.         Write about the topic in the writing prompt. This sounds simple, but students often stray into other topics, or forget to write about some part of the test question. For example, pretend this is your writing prompt.

             What are the important qualities of a good son or daughter? Have these qualities changed or remained the same over time in your culture? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

             Some students write about “the important qualities of a son or daughter” but forget to answer the second part: “have these qualities changed…” If you forget to answer part of the question, it will hurt your grade. If you are not really sure what the writing prompt means, make a guess based on the words that you do understand, and use those words in your answer.

7.         “Better” is better than “longer.” Most graders read your essay quickly, not carefully. Remember, they are probably reading dozens, or even hundreds, of essays like yours. Most graders will give you a better score if your work shows organization and thought instead of just length. A long essay does not impress anyone if it just says the same things over and over.

8.         Think before you write. The most important thing you can do is spend three to five minutes thinking before you start writing. Draw a brainstorming map, and group ideas together so you can create two or three support paragraphs, each of which has two or three supporting ideas. Good support impresses graders more than long paragraphs.

9.         Carefully craft your thesis statement and each paragraph’s topic sentence. Graders often read these parts (and the conclusion) first. If the grader is in a hurry, or bored, or tired, then he/she may not even read the body of your essay. I have heard that the average grader spend three to five minutes with each essay. This is why a GOOD thesis statement, supported in the body with two or three GOOD topic sentences, is SO IMPORTANT!

10.        Your first paragraph is the most important. Graders are most impressed if your introduction carefully answers the writing prompt with three to five relevant, clear, grammatically-correct sentences. Start with a “hook” (a related story, example or fact) and end with a great thesis statement that previews the ideas you will develop in the body. Of course, you need to support those ideas with related topic sentences/body paragraphs, but do not underestimate the power of the “first impression” you give to the grader.

11.        End well. I heard a grader say, “You can tell when the student ran out of time.” Don’t let this happen to you. Save time to write a good conclusion, summarizing your main ideas. Remember, people are most affected by what they read last, and thus your conclusion will have a big impact on your grader just before he/she gives your essay a score.

12.        Write 4 or 5 paragraphs. If you have about an hour for a timed writing test, graders expect you to write about 4 or 5 paragraphs, using about 300 words. I have seen many weak essays where the students write a long introduction, trying to say as much as they can about the topic, and then a long body paragraph giving quotes and facts, and then they run out of time and write a quick conclusion. This tells me that they didn’t think before they wrote.  Instead, write a 3-5 sentence introduction (see above), write three body paragraphs (giving three strong arguments to support your thesis), and save time to carefully write your conclusion (even if you have to “leave space” for your last body paragraph, and come back to it later--although you MUST NOT start your conclusion on a new page, because the grader might not see it!).

13.        Do not make up quotes. If you really memorized something, you can use it. But it is better to write [I read in a magazine that thousands of people die every month because of pollution.] than to make up a quote like this [According to Time magazine: “Thousands of people die every month because of pollution.”] or [Prof. George Kline said, “Thousands of people die every month because of pollution.”]. Because English-learners will probably put a small grammar mistake in these “quotes,” many American graders will give you a lower score because they think you are “making up” the quote.

14.        DO paraphrase things your read. Instead of using direct quotes, just write [I read in a magazine that pollution kills thousands of people every month.] or [One of my teachers said that pollution kills thousands of people every month.]. This shows that you know how to support your ideas with “outside” facts, but lets you avoid the problem of “made up quotes.” Graders will not lower your score if you make a grammar mistake when you paraphrase. (By the way, you can learn more about how to paraphrase in my book, Successful Writing for the Real World.)

15.        You can use or quote “general knowledge” if you really know how to say something in English. (This means that you can quote Confucius if your grader will be Chinese, quote from the Quran in the Middle East, quote from the Bible or Shakespeare in America, etc.) But even with “general knowledge” it is often better to use a paraphrase than to use a quote (unless you really memorized a sentence in English).

16.        Some “little things” are more important than others. Remember that graders are human, and therefore they have opinions about things too. Do not “insult” those who have a different opinion than yours (maybe your grader holds the other opinion!). Instead, support your idea clearly and with respect. Also remember that many graders have strong opinions about sexism, religion, politics, etc. You don’t want to offend them. I’ve even heard female graders say they give “higher marks” to students who use “he/she” instead of “he” to mean “any person”--they say it shows “higher skill” when maybe it just shows an awareness of sexism (a hot topic for many people).

             [If you don’t know what I mean by “he/she,” here are some examples. When I was a child, this sentence was fine: “A doctor when to the bank, but he couldn’t get any money because he left his credit card at home.” But today, this sentence is better: “A doctor went to the bank, but he/she couldn’t get any money because he/she left his/her credit card at home.”]

17.        Don’t expect to have your phone handy. Some students think they can keep a phone next to them “so they can tell the time.” But in most test rooms, phones are not allowed (because people use them to cheat). So, wear a watch. If you are allowed to use a dictionary (like you can on the ASSET), then it has to be a dictionary, and NOT a phone. These are the rules; don’t let them surprise you!

This resource was created for our students under my understanding of "fair use" for educational resources.  

 2011 Michael Krigline. As far as I am concerned, people are allowed to print/copy it for personal or classroom use.

(Please see our “Website Standards and Use Policy” for materials available at Krigline.com, and for information about the sources of definitions used on this website.)

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